Packing Tips

When traveling throughout Europe, it is very common to use extremely cheap airlines such as Ryanair, Easy Jet, or any other tiny plan that does not allow you to recline your seat.

It is important to know that while these airlines are cheap, if you do not follow their strict rules you will be paying loads of money. If you do not print out your boarding pass ticket before the flight, they will charge you an obscene amount of money. If your bag is too wide, and does not fit in their metal contraption at the gate, you will be paying loads of money to check your bag.

Suddenly, your cheap flight has turned in to a very expensive flight and you will STILL not have the luxury to recline your seat (so uncomfortable).

I have two secret tips to not paying these huge fines.

1. Print off your boarding pass ticket before you enter the airport.

I know it sounds a little bit crazy, but seriously, you will thank me. By printing out your boarding pass ticket before you get in to the airport, it will allow you to not only already have the ticket that you will need to get through check-in, security, and onto your plane that does not have seats that recline, but you will also be avoiding the sneaky trap that these airlines have set for those who do not follow this advice.

2. Buy something in the airport, whether it be food, a little souvenir, or both, and MAKE SURE TO GET A BAG WITH IT!

This advice is much less obvious than my last piece. These airlines only allow you to carry ONE carry on. That includes a backpack, a TINY suitcase, and even purses for the ladies. To bypass this rule, you can buy whatever you want in the airport after you get through security and carry that onto the plane as well. So, if you buy yourself a sandwich, get a bag with the sandwich. Why? Because before you get onto your flight, most airlines will make you put your bag through a size test. If your bag fails, you either have to leave stuff behind, put on all the clothes in your bag and look like an idiot and embarrass the people you are flying with, or you have to pay the huge fine to check the bag.

My advice: take the bag that has your sandwich in it, and put some extra stuff from your suitcase or backpack IN TO that bag. Obviously, don’t be stupid and make that look clear to the person who is in charge of measuring your bag, but I would recommend putting your liquids and/or some other bulky materials from you carry-on that will help you easily past the size restriction test.